Red Sharks still unbeaten in Div 2 Rugby League

Mathew Whitmore (right) of Kingston Central Hounds evades Jade Harrison (center) and Jermaine Pinnock of the Duhaney Park Red Sharks during their Rugby League Around The Grounds National Division 2 game at the Duhaney Park Football Field on Saturday.

Duhaney Park Red Sharks player-coach Roy Calvert said that although the team is still the only unbeaten one left in the Rugby League Around The Grounds National Division 2 Championship, its aim is on improving with each game.

The Red Sharks defeated the Kingston Central Hounds, the only other unbeaten team in the league at the start of Saturday's game, 21-6. It was close at halftime with the Red Sharks ahead 8-6; however, the defending champions pulled away after the break for a comfortable win.

Calvert, who scored two tries on the day, was modest about his performance and said that he was just pleased with the overall team effort that secured the win.

"Both of them (tries) were from a team effort and there was nothing individualistic about them," he told The Gleaner.

"I was just fortunate enough that I was in the correct position, at the correct time to really score. But the build-up to the tries, to me, was what was really impressive, rather than the tries themselves.

"There's no pressure on us. We are the three-time Division 1 champions, three years in a row. No other team has done that and Division 2 is basically used by the club as a developmental tool for our young players coming through. Me being a Division 1 player, is just to guide younger players to ensure that they execute how they're supposed to, and play according to the team pattern. This means if they are called up to the Division 1 squad, it will not be a big thing to them, because they have already learned the system that the club plays. Winning, for us, is not important; it's just to ensure that the team understands how they are expected to play," Calvert explained.

In the second game on the day, the Liguanea Dragons overpowered Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) Spartans 52-16. Liguanea were too strong from the opening whistle, with their experienced forwards making light work of CMU's defence in the middle. Adrian Hall registered three tries for the Dragons.

Round four continues next week with the Red Sharks playing CMU and Kingston Central taking on the Dragons at the Duhaney Park football field, at 12:30 and 2 p.m., respectively.